


Free day - Yule Ball

by Evergade



Series: Sefikura Week 2021 - English [4]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Sefikura Week 2021
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:14:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29042208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evergade/pseuds/Evergade
Summary: Young wizard Cloud has massive cruch on his teacher... Who doesn't even know that he exist.
Relationships: Sephiroth/Cloud Strife
Series: Sefikura Week 2021 - English [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2125470
Kudos: 18





	Free day - Yule Ball

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for any mistake, mispealing, or anything. My English class was ten years ago.

The first time they saw each other was first year.  
Exacly, first year for Cloud and seventh year for Sephiroth. They both studied at Hogwarts School, a British institution that trained young wizards and young witches in order to enter the magical world. They were set into two opposed houses, Sephiroth was in Slytherin, among the cunning and cunning and Cloud in Gryffindor, among the courageous and the noble ones. Nothing could ever get them to meet.  
And yet it happened. One day in April, they spoke to each other. Well, speaking to each other was an overstatement. Because they didn't have a full conversation. There had been an altercation. Without deliberately doing so, Cloud had hit a Ravenclaw seventh year. Really, it was the seventh year that had run into him. He was chatting with his friends while Cloud was thinking about his last class. Cloud had taken a step aside to avoid him, but so had the seventh year. And he hadn't seen him. The collision caused both of them to fall to the ground. Cloud apologized and tried to pick up his books when the seventh year pushed him.  
"You could have been more careful, shorty!"  
''Sorry, sorry--''  
''I’ll give you one good reason to be sorry.''  
He grabbed him by the collar and prepared to put his fist in his face when there was a voice.  
"Let him go, Rhapsodos!"  
The seventh year let him go and looked at the newcomer.  
''What do you want, Sephiroth?''  
''Stop terrorizing the first few years.''  
"Or what else, orphan? Oh, sorry, Mr. Head oy. Are you going to scold me?"  
"No, but I take points."  
''This is abuse of power!''  
"Or, we can go to your house head and find out what he thinks about this?"  
The so-called Rhapsodos gave up. Cloud hurried to pick up his books.  
"It’s not over, orphan" the Ravenclaw spit out.  
"Yeah, right" Sephiroth replied.  
When the Ravenclaw disappeared in a corridor, Cloud looked at Sephiroth.  
''Thank you.''  
But Sephiroth just looked down at him (which was not very complicated when he was twice his size).  
"Yeah, right"  
Sephiroth disappeared the other side of the hall, and Cloud remained alone with his books, his eyes full of stars towards the one who had just spared him a beating.  
It was a common thing, the bullying of the first years. Obviously, it happened when there was no teacher around. Cloud had his share of beating. He had no friends to talk to, being rather lonely and shy. And the fact that this brave seventh year has stood up for him makes him feel a little hopeful the sevenths years were not all rotten.

Quietly, he invastigated about Sephiroth. He learned that he was in seventh year at Slytherin, and an orphan. Because everyone called him that. One day he heard two girls from Hufflepuff talking and learned more about it. According to them, baby Sephiroth had been found at the bottom of the north tower and no one knew where he came from. The teachers had more or less adopted him and the headmaster decided to take care of him until he found his parents. But nobody had asked for him. Then the director had kept him. Sephiroth had grown up and when he was eleven years, he entered the first year. And everyone knew the teachers were more flexible with him.  
Cloud tried to talk to him several times before the end of the year, but it had been a complete failure. Sadly, he dealt with the thought of never seen him again.  
  
But to this delighted surprise, in the second year, Sephiroth return to school after his Newts. He was now assisting the Potion Master. Cloud came with a whole new plan to try to get Sephiroth's attention. But after several weeks of observation, Cloud had given up. Sephiroth frowned all the time, always stood back in classes and never speak a word to anyone, except the professor of potions. So instead of talking to him, as he had initially planned, he merely observed him, trying to find out if there was anything in particular he liked. He didn't learn much, except that he had always good-smelled hands, that he caressed the ingredients with delicacy when handling them, and that systematically, he braided his long silver hair when he had his nose on a cauldron. But nothing personal. He didn’t know his favorite color, whether he liked flying on brooms or preferred the Floo Powder. If he had friends or hobbies.  
In addition to his constant monitoring of the potions assistant, he made sure he had the best possible grades for him to notice. He studied potions on his free time and when he didn’t do his homeworks, he learned everything he could about potions. The librarian had repeatedly advised him to find friends, but Cloud ignored her.

During its third year, Cloud had not changed its plan. He had the best potion grades, both in writing and in practice. But that was not enough. Sephiroth continued to ignore him, as he ignored everyone. That same year, he managed to make friends. The other boys in his dormitory, Zack, Kunsel, Reno, and Barret, had integrated him into their group of friends. He appreciated their attention and accepted their presence, but nothing deterred him from his intense surveillance. When Christmas arrived, his mother sent him a notebook, and he began to write down all his observations. When his birthday arrived, he asked his mother for another notebook because the first one was full.  
  
In his fourth year he noticed certain details. Sephiroth never smiled and frowned all the time, but when he looked at the window in the morning, his eyes were lost in the outside. Cloud had spent hours trying to guess what he might be thinking. He began to notice little things like his favorite food. These were the only food he took a re-fill. Sometimes during every minute of the two hours of the period, he was sitting, without moving a muscle at the back of the room. Cloud deduced he seemed to bear the cold really well. And one thing led to another, he managed to pick up a lot of small details like that. Towards the end of May he heard his voice again after three years. He corrected Barret on his way of cutting herbs. It was just a few words, but Cloud felt his breath ran short. He had almost forgotten his voice. And it was not for lack of trying, because he had repeating it in his head every night since the day he had saved him from the seventh year of Ravenclaw. His voice was, however, more deep than his memory and he felt shivers running through him. And for the first time in his life, Cloud knew what it was like to have a boner.  
  
The arrival of the fifth year marked the beginning of Sephiroth’s career as a full-time teacher. The former teacher had retired and hearing his voice during classes did not improve the problems of erotic dreams that Cloud had. He tried to make himself noticed by making the most successful potions, without result. Each time, Sephiroth passed by his cauldron without saying anything. Without a look. Then Cloud started asking him questions during classes where Sephiroth answered with short answers. He ends up giving up.  
During the year he tried to date a girl, but without success. He couldn't be attracted to her. And the only time she tried to kiss him, he got slapped because he pointed out she was drooling too much. Cloud had been making fun of for weeks and she had comforted herself in the arms of a sixth year.

In the sixth year, he was heartbroken. One day, in the city on Muggles side, he saw Professor Sephiroth kissing a ginger guy. A few seconds of reflection allowed Cloud to remember this face. It was the face of Genesis Rhapsodos, the seventh year that nearly beaten him. After they kissed, they hugged each other and Cloud ran away to take refuge under his covers where he remained there to cry for twenty-four hours. Zack came by when he heard the news. He was the only one who knew, because Cloud had been very careful not to tell anyone that he had a monstrous crush on their potion master. But Zack found out on his own and talked to him about it at a time when they were alone. Cloud had denied everything at first, but Zack had assured him that he didn’t care, that he would always be his friend and that nothing would change it. Cloud had confessed everything. Zack had comforted him and promised to help him as soon as he could. And that day, fulfilling his promise, he had come. He excused himself to his girlfriend and immediately went to Cloud.  
When school started again, Cloud said nothing. He didn’t even look at Sephiroth anymore, being too afraid to start crying. He kept an excellent level of potions despite everything and Sephiroth continued to ignore him.  
  
When the seventh year came, Cloud had recovered. It still hurts, but he avoided thinking about it. He was trying to move on. Zack pointed out to him that Sephiroth seemed to be more relaxed. Then Cloud noticed that he smiled from time to time, that he spoke a little more. As if he were suddenly happier in his life. And Cloud thought it must have been Genesis. It made him even more sick.  
One day, during a class, however, Sephiroth didn't feel like laughing. During the preparation of a Wolf-Slayer potion, a student of Ravenclaw raised her hand.  
"Yes, miss?"  
"Why don’t you have a last name?"  
Sephiroth frowned. ''I'm sorry?''

'Well, I don’t know, the other day I saw the other teachers call you Sephiroth, too. And my sister told me that was your name, because she went to school with you. But if they call you Professor Sephiroth, you don’t have a last name?''  
Sephiroth seemed to relax and smile. "If only you were as good observer as you were a potion-maker, you would be potions master in no time."  
The class laughed and Sephiroth returned to his office. But Cloud had watched him for too long to know that he was forcing himself to smile and that if he pretended to look for an ingredient in his shelves, not showing his face, it was because he preferred that no one would see him contain his nerves.

"Sir" the student said "You have not answered my question."  
''It’s probably because it’s none of your business.''  
"Why won’t you answer?"  
"Oh, give it up, you cunt!" someone screamed.  
When everyone looked at him, Cloud understood that he was the one who had spoken.  
"Hum, _I'm sorry_? " the girl said, in a sluggish tone. "What did you just say to me?"  
''I told you to give it up'' Cloud replied without thinking. ''He just told you it’s none of your business, so leave it alone and go get your gossip somewhere else.''  
''Mr. Strife.''  
Anxiously, Cloud turned to his teacher.  
''I appreciate the gesture, but you will come to me at the end of the court. You will receive detention.''  
"Why?" Zack said "She is the one who disrespects you!"  
''Yes. And for that, she will be withdrawn 10 points...''  
"Oi !" the girl protested.  
"And Mr. Strife," continued Sephiroth, as if he hadn't heard his protest, "shall be receiving detention. Because I refuse to tolerate insults in my class. And one more word, Mr. Fair ''he added, raising his hand as soon as Zack had opened his mouth to answer ''and I take away ten points from you as well. Well, the next one who opens his mouth without being invited to will be given detention for every night of the week.''  
The most calming silence reigned for the rest of the period and Cloud remained as agreed at the end of the class. When the last student went away, the teacher looked at Cloud and spoke.  
"Mr. Strife, I appreciate the gesture, but I cannot let you talk to your classmates like this."  
''Yes, sir.''  
"So you will do your detention on Friday evening..."  
"But she didn’t have to insult you," Cloud said, cutting him off.  
''And... I beg your pardon?''  
''She didn’t have to keep bothering you. She didn’t even have to ask that kind of question. It was personal.''  
Sephiroth leaned on his chair back.  
''It’s not that personal. Everyone knows I don’t have a last name.''  
''It still is a sensitive topic and that…''  
"And what makes you say that?" Sephiroth asked, frowning.  
Cloud found himself corned and chose to tell a half-truth.

"I know that when I was a first year, they called you the orphan. So this is certainly a painful subject. And... When I was a first year, you saved me from a seventh year and..."  
Sephiroth laughed.  
"Oh no... don’t tell me... I did you a favor that day, so you want to do me the same."  
He sighed and Cloud remained frozen on the spot.  
''Look, Mr. Strife. You are not the only first year I have prevented a beating. At the time, the teachers were fully aware of what was going on and asked us, the head boys and head girls, to monitor and intervene when we saw something. I was just doing what I was asked to do, do you understand?''  
He sighed.  
''You’re not the only one I’ve saved from a beating. Some of them even started a fan club. And I hope you’re not a member...''  
''I didn’t know you had a fan club'' Cloud said.  
"Good" Sephiroth replied "Because I don’t need to have students... In love with me... When I try to teach them something. No thanks, I’ve already had my share. So forget the whole thing, okay? If it hadn’t been me, it would have been someone else.''  
Cloud felt his guts froze.  
''Yes, sir.''  
"And don’t talk to your classmates like that again, okay?"  
''Yes, sir.''  
"So I said that the detention would take place on Friday evening, at 9 p.m."  
"How long will it last, sir?"  
"What? are you in a hurry?"  
''It’s just to know.''  
"When you have finished what I will ask you, you'll leave."  
''All right, sir.''  
''Go now, Mr. Strife.''  
Without saying a word, Cloud disappeared. As soon as he came out of the dungeons, he went into the Astronomical Tower, always empty in broad daylight, to let his pain go. He felt that a thousand blades had just pierced his heart. Not only Sephiroth didn't care about helped him that day, but he had done so only because he had been asking for it. As if it had been a chore. His brain began to reason. Maybe Sephiroth and Rhapsodos were dating by the time Cloud met them. For all he knews, they could have even developed this for fun. For all he knew, Sephiroth could have understood Cloud’s feelings for the longest time and joke about it with his boyfriend.  
With his stomach tied and empty, he resumed in his classroom for his first hour of the afternoon. He had History of Magic, and as everyone was asleep, Zack quietly slipped him a note, asking him why he looked like he had been crying and why he missed lunch. Cloud had explained to him on a piece of parchment in broad outline what happened and Zack raised his hand.  
-Sir? Cloud is not feeling well, can I take him to the infirmary?  
-Hmm? Yes, yes...

They left the classroom and went to the nearest toilet. While they were alone, Cloud explained the whole situation.  
"You know" Zack said, when he finished his story "I don’t think he was laughing at you. Maybe he just thought you were a part of his fan club, like a lot of other students.''  
''Did he really have a fan club?”  
" Apparently. When he was a student here, he did a lot of good things for everyone, and everyone thanked him. But my brother knows him and told me it was just because the teachers asked him. Everyone always believed that teachers favoured him, but they were harder on him than others. He never wanted to be the center of attention, but no one gave him a choice.”  
"Then why is he dating the guy who almost hit me?"  
Zack sighed.  
“Who knows. From what I know, Genesis pissed off a lot of people when he was a student here. I know because he is a friend of my brother.”  
"Your brother knows everyone..."  
Zack smiled.  
"We’re nice guys. It runs in the family. Anyway, apparently, Genesis was an asshole when he was young. He still is, if you ask me.”  
Cloud sniffed.  
''What do I do now? Apart from crying like a child?”  
Zack pressed his shoulder in a gesture of comfort.  
“You grieve and wait for it to pass.”  
  
Cloud tried hard to apply this advice. Every night, he would repeat that it was over, that Sephiroth would never love him, that he could never thank him like he wanted and that he had to move on. When Friday evening arrived, he went to knock on the door of his teacher’s classroom, praying to heaven to keep his calm. Sephiroth invited him in.  
“Sit down, Mr. Strife.”  
Cloud settled in his usual place and put down his bag.  
“You are going to make me a paper on the function of the Grass of Heaven and its different uses.”  
“How many centimeters do you want?”  
“Put everything you know.”  
“I hope you have no plans” Cloud grumbled.  
For two years, in his spare time, he had memorized all the potion ingredients and their use.  
"I beg your pardon?" Sephiroth asked with a frown.  
“I hope you have no plans” Cloud said louder.  
"And why is that?"  
"Because it's going to take time."  
"We’ll see," Sephiroth said, with a grin to the lips. "Since you seem so confident with your abilities, I'll note your writing."  
“It won’t lower my grades.”  
"Of course, you will write it without your books."  
"I had not brought them."

“One more word, Strife, and you’ll get a week of detention.”  
Cloud looked at him without saying anything and shrugged his shoulders before taking out two scrolls. He began to list everything he knew and made the plan for his writing. He began to write it, and after what seemed five minutes he heard a noise. He raised his head and saw his teacher facing the fireplace. With the crackling of the fire, he did not hear the whispers well and he closed his eyes to distinguish what was said.  
"You were supposed to be home an hour ago!"  
"I’m in detention, Gen, I told you.”  
"But I am waiting for you!"  
"I told you I’d be back when I was done."  
"Which one is in detention this time?"  
“Strife.”  
"The one who defended you the other day?"  
“Yes.”  
"Why did you give him detention?"  
"He insulted another student."  
"And?"  
"I don’t care, but the director will _talk_ to me if I don’t intervene."  
"Besides, is he not your best student or something?"  
“Yes. But that doesn’t change anything. And he’s far too arrogant for his own good.”  
"You’re going to do the nice teacher trick to better belittle him behind, aren’t you?"  
"That’s the point."  
"I’d like to see that."  
"It’s not a show, Gen, it’s education."  
"He’s not going to see it coming."  
"Well, I’ll come home when I’m done, okay?"  
“Yes. But hurry up.”  
Cloud opened his eyes and pretended to be absorbed by his work. He looked discreetly at his watch. It indicated 11:16 pm. He looked at the mass of work he had left to do and began to do it without a sound. When he had finished, at about 1:00 in the morning, he looked up to his teacher. He had fallen asleep in his chair, his arms and legs crossed. Without a word, Cloud approached his office and placed his copy on the desk. Upon reflection, he added a little word before leaving the room.  
 _I’m sorry I kept you here so long, but I warned you it would take time. Next time, give me detention on Saturday morning, it’ll be easier.  
Feel free to comment my work, if I’ve forgotten anything. I’m open to constructive criticism.  
Good night. _

The next day, he went for breakfast, dark circles under his eyes. He went to meet Zack and Barret at the table and start eating. But just two minutes after settling in, he heard a voice.  
“Strife!”  
He looked at his potion master walking towards him quickly, looking furious.  
“Sir?”  
“Do you find this amusing?”  
“Of what?”  
“Your word. On your copy.”  
"No, it wasn’t meant to be amusing, just to point out...."  
“Silence! If it makes you laugh so much, I will take note of your remarks for your next detention.”  
"That’s why they’re here."  
Sephiroth glared at him and went away.  
"You just signed your death warrant" Zack said, white as a sheet.  
Barret was laughing. "Man, you got the biggest pair of balls I’ve ever seen."  
  
From that day on, Sephiroth seemed to have declared war upon him. As soon as he could, he took points off his copy or gave him detention for reasons as trivial as 'wrote too big' or 'uses an inappropriate quill'. But even with that, Cloud persisted. His teacher hated him. Right. In this case, he did everything to ensure that he had nothing to reproach him by ensuring that he had the most complete essays and the most successful potions. That’s why one day he was surprised to receive a note from his teacher inviting him to his office at 6:00 pm.  
A little nervous, he found himself in front of him.  
"Sit down, Strife," Sephiroth ordered.  
Cloud sat down.  
"Why did you want to see me, Professor?"  
“The headmaster has asked me to speak to you about your potion grades.”  
"Is there a problem?"  
Sephiroth glared at him.  
“No. You have excellent grades. I call you here to talk about your career opportunities, with grades like that--”  
Cloud stood up.  
"Don’t bother yourself."  
“Strife, sit.”  
“No. Look, you’re as bored as I am with this meeting. So let’s just get this over with. No, I’m not interested in a career in potions. I already have a job in mind, and it has nothing to do with potions. So tell the headmaster you gave me your speech and I said I’d think about it.”  
Sephiroth was fulminating.  
“How dare you speak to me like that!”  
"Dare what? What did I say this time!"  
Sephiroth opened his mouth to answer, but Cloud cut him off.

"I don’t understand anything!"  
He was fed up. Six years he had fallen in love, one year he had his heart broken. He had moved on, but the professor seemed desperate to stay in his life while Cloud just wanted to ignore him. He persisted in ruining his life for free as Cloud made immense efforts to recover from his heartbreak. But now, after six years, it didn’t matter.  
He was tired.  
“From the beginning I’ve been working like crazy to get the best possible grades. So that you could finally look at me. Because I’ve always been in love with you. I just wanted you to congratulate me just once. But no. You have decreed that I am a worthless person and you are trying to ruin me. While I am trying to move on. You keep telling me that I’m arrogant and ungrateful, while I’m just trying to be nice. When I left you the note, the first time I was in detention, it wasn’t to be clever, but just to say that it’s not by asking a paper on something I learned in second year that I’m going to learn my lesson. And I know you were planning on meeting your boyfriend that night, so I told you to shift the restraints during the day, because you could go home at night. But no, mister decide I was a dirty little prick, so he decided to ruin my life.”  
He resumed his breathing.  
“The reason I told you to cut this appointment short is because I know very well that you don’t like to stay with people when you don’t have to and avoid social interactions as soon as you can. I don’t want to make a career out of this. As you can imagine, I’ve been thinking about what I wanted to do later a long time ago. So I might as well shorten this stupid meeting. I’m not being arrogant, I’m just trying to simplify your life.”  
He sighed and looked at his teacher with the saddest look in the world.  
"Go ahead, you can laugh at me now."  
Sephiroth sighed.  
"You are not the first student to make me a love confession."  
“Yes” Cloud cut. “Because I suspect there have been many others before me who have asked you why you look sad when no one’s looking at you, or how it is that you stay completely still for hours, or how you came to prefer mint candies over chocolate. I know I’m not the first. But--”

He took a deep breath.  
“You know, I tried so hard to forget you. Really. To move on. But the hardest part was figuring out that you were dating the same guy who pushed me down when I was a first year. Because since then, I always saw you as some kind of hero. You didn’t have to help me, but you did. I admired you so much and I did everything I could to please you. And when I saw you kissing that guy... The same guy who tried to beat me up...”  
He sighed.  
"Today, I’m tired of it. And I regret that our longest conversation is like this, but I give up. Yell at me, lower my grades, hold me in detention until the end of the year, or make jokes on me if you want, but I give up.”  
Without waiting for an answer, he took his bag and returned to the Great Hall. He met his friends there and when Zack asked him how he was doing, because he had, in his own words, a 'shitty head', Cloud told him that he had just turned over a new leaf. No one understood except Zack who made him a compassionate smile.  
  
From there, Sephiroth had abandoned the idea of fighting with him, obviously, since he had decided to ignore it completely. Cloud did the same. He didn’t ask any questions in class, made homework as impeccable as ever and avoided his gaze whenever he could. Really, it annoyed him, but Cloud thought it was probably for the best. He managed to recover from his heartbreak better, ever since.  
He tried to change his mind by dating a Slytherin boy of his year two weeks before Christmas. They had talked during their few classes together and had kissed twice. It wasn’t a crazy passion, but it suited Cloud. It was always better than nothing.  
In December the headmaster announced a Yule Ball. The students had to buy or have a costume or dress sent to them. There would be music, food and lots of space to dance, according to him. As soon as the announcement was made, the whispers in the corridors only talked about that. The invitations fused everywhere and Cloud wasn’t surprised his boyfriend asked him to go with him.  
The evening of the ball, he had gone with Zack to the Great Hall, which had been richly decorated. The tables had been pushed against the walls. They had been filled with food and the benches had been replaced with small chairs. Where the teachers' table should have been, there was a platform with instruments playing on their own. Decorations were hanging from the ceiling and Zack whispered with admiration.  
"Boy, they’ve done it very well."

They joined the other boys of their dormitory. Zack looked at his watch and apologized saying that he had to go get his girlfriend. He returned a few minutes later with a girl from Ravenclaw whom Cloud had never spoken to. He was obviously the only one, because everyone greeted her. Zack introduced her to Cloud.  
-Sweetheart, this is Cloud. Cloud, Aerith.  
She gave him a soft smile and wave him, a favor Cloud returned.  
Slowly, people began to arrive and when Cloud saw his boyfriend, he beckoned to Zack he was going to see him.  
"Yeah" Zack replied, shouting over to cover the sound of the music. "In a minute. Before that, I would like you to meet my brother."  
Curious, Cloud allowed himself to be taken to the teachers' corner. Next to the headmaster was Professor Sephiroth, Genesis Rhapsodos, whom Cloud had no trouble recognizing, and a tall brown guy he had never seen.  
“Angeal!”  
The big unkwon guy turned and smiled.  
“Zack!”  
“Cloud, this is my brother, Angeal. He will be a teacher here next year.”  
“Really?" Cloud asked politely, shaking his presented hand. "What subject will you teach?"  
“Defense Against Dark Arts. The current professor retires at the end of the year.”  
“You are early on your schedule, then.”  
“The Headmaster invited me to meet my colleagues this week.”  
“Cool. Good luck then.”  
He turned to Zack.  
"I’m going to go see my boyfriend now."  
"No, stay with us a little longer," Zack insisted, smiling.  
But Cloud knew his friend and knew what that smile meant. He wasn’t comfortable. Zack was hiding something from him. Someone hit him on the shoulder.  
“Hey.”  
He turned and saw Genesis.  
"Shall we dance?"  
Cloud lost the little color he had left on his face.  
“No... No, I don't want to--”  
“Cool!” Genesis said by taking his hand.  
He took him to the dance floor, ignoring the calls of his two friends. The music being still relatively soft, he was not really surprised when Genesis slipped his arm behind his back and took his second hand.  
"I think you and I need to talk."  
"I have nothing to say to you," Cloud said, hoping it would be convincing.  
“Sephiroth told me everything.”  
Cloud bowed his head.  
“Listen…”  
"No, you, listen," Genesis cut out. "I know I almost beat you up when I was in school. To be honest, I’ve pissed off so many people that I don’t remember everyone. And don’t expect an apology. Because I have no remorse. That’s how I am. I’m an asshole.”  
He sighed.  
"That being said, we shall have a serious discussion."  
"What?" Cloud said, tired and sad. "If I go near your boyfriend, you will kill me?"  
Genesis smiled at him.  
"Yes. Absolutely. But, fortunately, you are not interested in my boyfriend but in Sephiroth."  
Cloud frowned.

“Wait... What?”  
"Never in my life did I go out with Sephiroth."  
"I saw you kissing at that Muggle restaurant."  
“The 25th of July, right? That’s normal. Look, I’m not going to tell you my life story, but it wasn't a good time for me then. What you saw was my best friend comforting me.”  
"You spoke to him by the fireplace the first time I had detention with him."  
"Yes, we had planned to go out that night. And this idiot deliberately held you back."  
“What do you mean?”  
“He doesn't like going out with us. He always manages to find something ''important'' to do that he absolutely cannot delay. That night, it was you. Sometimes it’s because he has late copies, or he refills the potions stocks in the medical wing. Anyway, as soon as he can come up with an excuse, he ditches us. Now, I’d like to ask you a question.”  
“What?”  
"Is it true that you are weak?"  
Cloud frowned.  
“What do you mean?”  
"Zack told me you were the fragile type and we shouldn’t talk to you about something."  
“I don’t understand”  
The music ended. Genesis leaned over him and whispered in his ear.  
"Whatever happens tonight, don’t go dancing with your boyfriend."  
Before Cloud could ask him for an explanation, he went back to his friends. A little lost, he followed him as Zack was still talking with his brother. A few seconds later, Genesis came back holding Sephiroth by the arm.  
“Dance with him.”  
“Gen, I've already told you that...”  
"And I told you that if you didn’t, I would tell your dirty little secret to everyone."  
Rolling his eyes, Sephiroth gave his hand to Cloud. But Cloud shook his head.  
"No. No, I don’t want to."  
Sephiroth opened his mouth to answer, but he was cut off.  
“Cloud?”  
The blond turned around and saw his boyfriend.  
"Can we dance?"  
Before he could answer, Zack did it for him.  
“No.”  
“Uh--sorry, Fair, but I was talking to Cloud.”  
“Cloud doesn’t want to dance with you.”  
“Can Cloud says something?” Cloud asked.  
"No!" replied Genesis and Zack with one voice.  
Genesis turned to Sephiroth and whispered something in his ear. Sephiroth glanced at him and grabbed Cloud’s hand.  
“Come on, Strife.”  
He brought him to the dance floor and slipped his arm around his waist and took his second hand. Everyone around them had stopped dancing and was watching them.  
"Sir, I’m not sure that’s a good idea."  
"It's not mine."  
Sephiroth started dancing, dragging Cloud with him.  
“Look, Strife... you better get back to your dorm, okay?”  
“Why?”  
"Do as I say."  
Cloud frowned.  
"Why should I listen to you? All you do is making fun of me. You told Genesis what I told you. And I guess it was very funny, and you must have had a lot of fun.”  
“Calm down--”  
But it only made the student more angry.

"No! Why should I calm down? I’m tired of being mocked. All you do is..."  
“You see the girl behind me?” Sephiroth cut. “The blonde with the bun? Look over my shoulder.”  
Cloud risked a peek. At the back of the room, there was a student in a red dress, with blond hair in a bun and playing with her wand. She stared at him without blinking.  
"Who is it?"  
Without answering, Sephiroth turned him slightly and murmured to him.  
“Look at the little chubby one now. Next to the buffet.”  
Cloud spotted him. Behind the crowd, next to the buffet, his wand in hand. They were practically alone on the track now. Everyone was watching them. He lowered his voice.  
“What is going on?”  
"I’m sorry to tell you this, but your boyfriend is planning a prank."  
“What?”  
“I overheard a conversation some time ago. Mr. Strife, I’m sorry. But he doesn’t like you. He’s dating you just to humiliate you.”  
Cloud faded.  
"What?"  
"I will spare you the crudest details, but he has asked some of his comrades to stand by. When he will bring you to the dance floor, they plan to cast a spell on you to get you naked.”  
Cloud turned pale. He didn’t believe it.  
“What?”  
“That’s why you shouldn’t be alone. And it would be better if you went back to your dormitory.”  
“How do you know?”  
“I heard them talking about it when the ball was announced. And during breakfast today, when your name came out, I understood. I’ve been trying to find you since this morning to talk to you about it. I managed to catch Mr. Fair, to warn him. He said you’re emotionally fragile right now, and we need to protect you without telling you.”  
He placed his head on Cloud’s. From the outside, it might have been like a couple dancing, but the reality was different. They were both tense, scanning the eye area for potential threats.  
Cloud lowered his head, the tears slowly rising.  
"Why? Why did he do that?"  
"Because you are an easy target," Sephiroth replied, continuing to make him waltz.  
Cloud looked at him.  
“You are a loner and the best in many subjects. But especially in mine. And they do not accept it.”  
"I did nothing to them."  
“I know. We never do anything to this kind of people. But they’re still there.”  
“We?”  
Sephiroth looked at him.  
“You are not the only one who goes through this kind of thing.”  
“Why did you tell me?"  
“What do you mean?”  
"Why did you intervene?"  
Sephiroth frowned. The song ended. They stopped dancing.  
“Because I don’t let that happen. Not if I can stop it.”  
Zack came running in.  
“Hey... Uh... You better get moving, everybody’s looking at you.”  
Cloud watched his boyfriend join them.  
“Are we dancing now, Cloud? “

He was wondering if he could really trust him when he learned all this. And could he really trust his teacher? Zack was in on it too, apparently. But was that true? Looking back, he really had been acting strangely, preventing him from going to see his boyfriend all day. If Zack was really involved, does that mean Sephiroth was right? When he saw his boyfriend take a look at the blonde in the red dress, he felt his heart fall into his chest.  
"No. No, I think I’ll go to bed."  
"But... but it is nineteen o'clock!"  
“I’m tired. Good night.”  
"I'll go with you," Sephiroth said.  
"I don’t think so."  
Genesis came to them.  
"I have copies to correct," Sephiroth said.  
"As if I had never heard that one."  
“Good evening.”  
"Yeah, right."  
Cloud left the Great Hall, accompanied by the teacher. When they had moved away from the front door, Sephiroth stopped Cloud.  
"Mr. Strife, I can walk you back to your dorm, if you don’t want to go home alone, just in case. Or—“  
He sighed.  
“Or I can invite you to a cup of tea in my class. I want to talk to you about something.”  
Cloud looked at him, his brain running at full speed.  
“Cloud!”  
Behind them, his boyfriend arrived at speed, with some students behind. There was the blonde and the chubby little boy he had seen in the Great Hall.  
“Uh... Excuse me, Professor. Cloud, can we go somewhere else? I’d like to talk to you.”  
Cloud looked at his boyfriend and the other students. Not all of them were there to cast a spell on him. It was too crowded. And too few spectators. A horrible thought crossed his mind. If they were there to do much worse?  
"Um, I have to discuss my last potion assignment with Professor Sephiroth. I’ll see you later?"  
His boyfriend frowned.  
"It is Christmas!"  
Cloud forced himself to smile.

"You know what they say. No pain, no gain."  
He approached him and embraced him by the waist before kissing him.  
"I’ll see you tomorrow?"  
He did not give him time to react and ran to join the professor.  
"So you wanted to tell me about my last assignment."  
“That’s right. And your career direction.”  
When they were sure that all the others were gone, Sephiroth slipped.  
“You’re a skillful liar.”  
“I don’t have much choice. I’ve been in love with you for six years. I had to hide it.”  
"And you had to kiss him?"  
"Otherwise I would not have been able to steal this."  
He twirled a wand in his fingers. He saw Sephiroth smiling from the corner of his eye.  
“I guess it’s not yours?”  
“Nope.”  
"And what are you going to do with it?"  
"I haven’t decided yet."  
Sephiroth opened the door to his classroom.  
“So do us both a favor and decide when I will be gone. I would not like to be forced to intervene.”  
Cloud smiled and entered. Sephiroth closed the door behind him and with a wave of his wand, he conjured an enchanted tea set that served them two cups.  
"You wanted to talk to me?"  
Sephiroth sat on a table and invited Cloud to sit on a chair. "First of all, I wanted to apologize for my behaviour. I should never have treated you like I did. I thought you were being arrogant, when you were just... nice. When you left me a note, during your first detention, I thought you were mocking me. But no, you just did this for me...”  
He sighed.  
“Regarding your... Your feelings, for me, I’m sorry I reacted like that. I mean... I get a lot of love confession. Even more since that stupid newspaper... _Weekly Witch_... decided to award me with the title of 'sexiest teacher'... But generally, it doesn’t go beyond mere admiration and telling me that I have...”  
He coughed, clearly uncomfortable.

“That I have a... A nice piece of ass, apparently. But what you feel for me...”  
“I tried to forget you” Cloud cut off. “If you knew how hard I tried...”

Cloud looked down.  
"I know" Sephiroth said. "And this is what makes you different from the others. Because I feel like you’re the only one of my fans who’s sane...”  
“I’m still not in your fan club.”  
“Good. Because... How do you know so much about me? I mean... mint candy, for example?”  
“I noticed that you always have one at the beginning of the meal. And you eat it at the end.”  
Sephiroth sighed. "Well, you’ve certainly done your homework... I’m not even sure that’s a known fact, that I like mint."  
"I don’t know" Cloud said. "But I know."  
"And what else do you know about me?"  
“For example, you like to run in the morning in the winter.”  
“How do you know that?”  
"Well, at first I didn’t understand. You looked out the window all the time in the morning, at the beginning and the end of the year. And once, I was sending a package to my mom, for Christmas, and when I went to the owlery, I saw you running and doing the tour of the park. And when I saw you in class in the morning, you weren’t looking out. I deduced that you prefer to run in the morning in winter. Probably because nobody gets up at that hour of the day and you’re alone.”  
Sephiroth whistled.  
“It’s almost scary. I think you know me better than my own friends... It’s troubling.”  
“Sorry” Cloud blushed “I just watched you for a long time.”  
There was a silence before Cloud spoke again.  
“Can I ask you a question?”  
“Uh, yes, go ahead.”  
“Genesis told me you never dated. But when I saw you kissing...”  
“Genesis has a thing about kissing people on the mouth. He’s … He’s like that.”  
"No, I mean, I understood. But when you came back to school, afterwards, you seemed happier. I thought it was because you had someone in your life. But if it’s not that, what is it?”  
Sephiroth froze for a moment and sighed.  
"Well, if you found out everything else and didn’t say anything, I guess I can tell you that. Actually, I.... I’m having some problems with my family.”  
"Oh... I understood you didn’t have any...."  
“Yes. That’s why it’s problematic. Anyway. When I was in seventh year, I researched who I was. And in order to find out this kind of thing, one can go to St Mungo and they do what they call a magic scan. It can help determine the rate of magic in your blood, the kind of magic that suits you best, and in my case, if I have family members who have given their magic imprint, we could have found them. They didn’t find my parents, but they did find things about me that... Which were hard to swallow. And I preferred to keep quiet about what I had discovered. And that... it really destroyed me. Until one day I told my friends about it because I couldn’t stand to keep it to myself. That day, when you saw me with Genesis, it was a few days after I told him about it. I tried to keep them away from my life, because I thought it would be better, but they came back and I got a lot closer to them since that time. That’s why I was happier in school. It was because I had regained a semblance of stability in my life. A semblance of love.”  
Cloud bowed his head, confused. It went far beyond anything he could have imagined.  
“Wow...”  
"Yes. Of course, as you can imagine, I would ask you not to tell anyone."  
"I’ll keep it a secret."  
“I know. Anyway, all this to say that I apologize for my behavior. And even if I am flattered by your affection... What?”  
Cloud looked at him with his arms crossed. Then it struck him.  
“Actually, you’re just pretending to be a bad guy.”  
"I beg your pardon?"  
"When you helped me six years ago, you didn’t have to intervene. You could have let someone else do it or you could have just pretended you didn’t see it. But you did intervene and you went against one of your friends...”  
"Who said he was my friend?"  
“You. You said you learned that about yourself in seventh years and you pushed everybody back until a year ago. He was already your friend then. So you went against one of your friends to help me.”  
"If you think I had a soft spot for you at eleven, you're wrong."  
"No" Cloud said. "But you said it was because the teachers asked you to play the police. But that’s not true. That day, you intervened because you could intervene. Not because you were asked to do so. It’s like tonight. You could have just done nothing. But you intervened. _Because I don’t let that happen. Not if I can stop it_. That’s what you told me.”  
Sephiroth looked away.  
“You are intervening because you actually want to intervene.”  
"This is ridiculous."  
Cloud smiled.  
"That’s the dirty little secret that Genesis threatened you to reveal?"  
“Shut up, Strife.”  
"Indeed, the great bad Professor Sephiroth, with his detentions and his silences..."  
“Strife...”  
"The great bad teacher has a heart."  
Sephiroth glared at him.  
“Any living thing has a heart. It’s basic biology.”  
Cloud sighed and looked at him. He said in a calm voice, almost reluctantly.

"And how can I not be in love with you afterwards?"  
Sephiroth sighed.  
“Try. You are my student, and this is inappropriate.”  
Cloud stayed silence for a while.  
“Well... I will not be your student forever.”  
Sephiroth looked at him in silence.  
"Even if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t work."  
“How do you know?”  
"If you really know me, you wouldn’t like me as much as you thought."  
"I think I am the only judge."  
Sephiroth looked at him.  
“You want to know how I know?”  
The mood had suddenly become heavy. Cloud looked at him and shyly nodded.  
Sephiroth put away his cup of tea and got up before taking off his sorcerer’s dress. Then he took off his overcoat and shirt. And while Cloud had always imagined this moment filled with passion, what he had in front of him struck him with horror. The body of his teacher was mutilated everywhere. He had scars that seemed to grow with time, and they streaked his chest. Some seemed deeper than others.  
“Who... who did this to you?”  
"The headmaster found me like this" Sephiroth replied with an extinguished voice. "It's probably my parents."  
"What did they do to you?"  
Sephiroth fingered his shirt.  
“Apparently, they experimented on me.”  
“What kinds of...”  
“The kind you don’t practice on a human being. Or on an animal if you have any piece of decency.”  
He put down his shirt.  
“We think they tried to do something with my magic, because it’s out of whack. It took me a long time to get it under any kind of control. Today, I avoid using it because beyond the simplest spells, I have failures and I can do a lot of damage with my wand.”  
Cloud put away his cup before approached him and slowly, he put his hand on one of the scars.  
“You would see yourself spending your life with a disfigured sorcerer who doesn’t do magic?” laughs Sephiroth weakly. “Because that’s who I am.”  
Cloud looked up at him. Gently, he put his hand on his cheek and murmured.  
"If I were not your student, I would have kissed you so you know that I would. Of course, I would want to spend my life with you."  
Sephiroth looked at him intensely and placed his hand on the blond’s cheek.  
"If you were not my student, I would like you to do so."

He walked away from him before he put on his clothes. When he turned to Cloud, he took a deep breath.

"Thank you for tonight, Professor. And I shall meet you at the end of the year."

Sephiroth smiles slightly.

“I look forward to it, Mr. Strife.”

Cloud smiled at him and went back to his dorm. Alone in the classroom, he whispered.

“I look forward to it.”

**Author's Note:**

> This text took me a lot of energy, a lot of time, because I have no memory, and I forgot about the week, and I didn't prepare anything. I made my text a day before I published them. So sorry if this seem rushed to you, because it is. I'm French, so I write in French and translate it afterward. And the fact I was high when I write this didn't really help either. Love you all anyway.


End file.
